West Jeff Dominates Cedarville

Coming into tonight (Friday, September 15, 2017), Cedarville High School (CHS) and West Jefferson (West Jeff) High School (WJHS) are on completely opposite ends of The 2017 Ohio High School Football Spectrum (in terms of Success). Currently, West Jeff’s Overall Season Record sits at 3-0. Cedarville possesses a 0-3 Overall Season Record. The two Ohio Heritage Conference (OHC) Members (West Jeff – North Division and Cedarville – South Division) are meeting in a Crossover Conference Game. I am very much interested in this match-up. Being that this is the first time which I will be watching the CHS Indians play (this season); I want to see how the team deals with such a powerful opponent. Another aspect is simply the following. This will be the first time which I will be watching the WJHS Roughriders play too. Therefore, I want to witness what the team is all about. For any Sports Journalist, seeing brand-new teams play is always enjoyable; entertaining; and very interesting. Along with new teams come new faces. Opportunities might present themselves for Sports Journalists to see occurrences which have never taken place. For Cedarville, this forthcoming game is going to be quite difficult. Of course, I know that. However, I know something else too. Cedarville’s Football Players have HEART. No matter how difficult the game gets, The Indians WILL NOT QUIT!

 

            Cedarville will be the first team to start on Offense. The Indians’ Offense started on its own 27-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 11, the ball was on the 26-Yard Line. At 10:44, Colby Cross completed a pass to Andrew Pollander. Unfortunately, Pollander only picked up 5-Yards. On 4^th Down and 6, CHS had to Punt. After the Punt, West Jeff started on its own 42-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Lance Lambert completed a pass to Zack Graham. Then, a flag was thrown (9:52). The Roughriders’ Offense was penalized for a Block In The Back Violation. The penalty moved the ball back to the 37-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 15, Lambert completed a 63-Yard Touchdown Pass to Caleb Vanhook (9:05). Jon Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick was Good. West Jeff leads Cedarville 7-0. The Roughriders’ Scoring Drive lasted 50-Seconds.

 

            CHS’s next Offensive Drive started on the team’s 33-Yard Line. At 8:53, Cross completed a 7-Yard Pass to Pollander. On 2^nd Down, Brandon Pollock picked up the First Down. He got the ball to the 45-Yard Line. The Indians kept the ball moving. After a run (by Kane Odon) and a Pass Completion (from Cross to Hayden Lee), Cedarville was left with a 3^rd Down and 1 Play. Odon rushed the ball again. To his dismay, he was unable to obtain a First Down. On 4^th Down and 2 from West Jeff’s 46-Yard Line, Cedarville decided to run a play. That was a wise choice. Cross garnered the First Down. The ball now rested on WJHS’s 44-Yard Line. A False Start Penalty soon got into the way (5:33). An ensuing play resulted in a loss of 3-Yards. On 4^th Down and 12 from the Roughriders’ 46-Yard Line, the Indians punted (4:03).

 

            After the Punt, the ball was downed on West Jeff’s own 6-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Wyatt Dillion ran the ball. He was tackled on his team’s 26-Yard Line (3:51). The next play consisted of Ethan Higgins rushing the ball. At the conclusion of that play, the Roughriders’ Offense was flagged for Holding. The ball was moved back to the 25-Yard Line. On 1^st Down and 13, Lambert connected with Justin Gatley. The end result was a 50-Yard Pass Completion (3:15). The ball rested on Cedarville’s 25-Yard Line. After the snap on 1^st Down, Lambert kept the ball himself. He proceeded to go straight up the middle. In the end zone, Lambert’s run ended (3:09). Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick was Good. West Jeff’s lead increased to 14-0. When the Indians received the ball again, the team started on its 40-Yard Line. The Indians went on to go three plays and out. With 1:38 remaining in the 1^st Quarter, the Indians had to Punt.

 

            West Jeff’s Offensive Drive started in Cedarville’s territory. The ball was positioned on the Indians’ 45-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Lambert completed a pass to Vanhook (1:20). The 12-Yard Completion moved the ball to the 33-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Lambert took the ball to the 20-Yard Line (1:02). With 51-Seconds remaining in the 1^st Quarter, WJHS had another 1^st Down and 10 Play. After the snap from center, Lambert completed a 17-Yard Pass to Jordan South. On 1^st and Goal from Cedarville’s 3-Yard Line, Gabe Jones was given the ball. He rushed the ball to the 1-Yard Line. At the 23-Seconds mark, West Jeff’s Offense was penalized for a False Start Violation. Instead of having 2^nd and Goal on the 1-Yard Line, the Roughriders now had to deal with 2^nd and Goal on the 6-Yard Line. The clock was nearing zero. With no time remaining on the clock, Dillion took the ball into the end zone. Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick was Good. At the end of the 1^st Quarter, West Jeff leads Cedarville 21-0.

 

            As the 2^nd Quarter got underway, Cedarville’s Offense was starting on its own 34-Yard Line. Once again, the Indians experienced trouble with moving the ball. On 4^th Down and 9, the ball was on the 35-Yard Line. At 10:11, the Indians had to Punt. To add insult to injury, CHS’ Special Teams Unit was penalized for Illegal Touching (10:05). West Jeff set up shop on Cedarville’s 46-Yard Line. On 1^st Down and 10, Lambert completed a 20-Yard Pass to Zack Graham (9:56). On the next play, Lambert completed a 9-Yard Pass to Gabe Jones. On 2^nd Down and 1, the ball was on the Indians’ 17-Yard Line. At 9:35, Lambert completed a Touchdown Pass. Austin Swaney scored the Touchdown. After the successful completion of Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick, West Jeff’s lead grew to 28-0. I am about to sound like a broken record. Cedarville went on to go three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 3, the ball was on Cedarville’s 42-Yard Line. Instead of punting the ball, the team decided to go for the First Down. At 7:46, Hayden Lee took the handoff, and he proceeded to run. He was quickly brought down. Lee gained only 1-Yard. With the ball on the Indians’ 43-Yard Line, the ball was turned over on downs.

 

            On 3^rd Down and 12, the ball was sitting on Cedarville’s 45-Yard Line. Lambert went on to complete a 10-Yard Pass to Graham (7:12). On 4^th Down and 2, West Jeff decided not to Punt. Instead, Ethan Higgins picked up 2-Yards (6:49). Higgins’ rush gave the Roughriders a 1^st Down and 10 (on Cedarville’s 33-Yard Line). After Lambert completed a pass to Dillion on 1^st Down, WJHS now had to deal with a 2^nd Down 4 from CHS’s 27-Yard Line. By rushing the ball 7-Yards, the Roughriders obtained another First Down (6:13). With 5:52 remaining in the Second Quarter, Jones rushed 20-Yards to the end zone. Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick was No Good. West Jeff leads Cedarville 34-0. At the 5:04 mark, Cedarville was positioned on its own 34-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 11, Cross was intercepted by West Jeff’s Graham. He was tackled on the Indians’ 25-Yard Line. After Higgins proceeded to rush the ball twice, West Jeff faced a 2^nd Down and 1 on Cedarville’s 16-Yard Line. Once again, Higgins was handed the ball. His run gave his team a 1^st and Goal on the 7-Yard Line (4:16). After the snap from center, Higgins moved the ball into the end zone (3:49). This time, Stevenson’s Extra Point Kick was Good. West Jeff leads Cedarville 41-0.

 

            With 3:36 remaining before Halftime, Cedarville was positioned on its own 25-Yard Line. Before the Offensive Drive got going, a Flag was thrown. False Start had been called on the Indians’ Offense. The ball was moved back to the 20-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 15, Kane Odon ran the ball to the 27-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 8, Cross kept the ball. When he was brought down, he had reached the 43-Yard Line (2:00). With 51-Seconds on the scoreboard, Cedarville faced 2^nd Down and 10. Cross completed a 42-Yard Pass to Lee. That play placed the ball on West Jeff’s 15-Yard Line. At the 18-Seconds mark, CHS’s Offense committed a False Start. The ball was moved from the 9-Yard Line back to the 14-Yard Line. Instead of 2^nd Down and 4, the Indians now had to deal with 2^nd Down and 9. Once the snap from center took place, Cross took the ball to the 10-Yard Line (11-Seconds). With no time remaining on the clock, Cross completed a 10-Yard Touchdown Pass to Andrew Pollander. The Extra Point Kick was No Good. At the end of the 2^nd Quarter, West Jeff leads Cedarville 41-6.

 

            To open up the 3^rd Quarter, Cedarville attempted an Onside Kick. It was not a successful attempt. West Jeff’s Zack Graham scooped up the ball. He almost returned the kick for a Touchdown. Graham was tackled on the Indians’ 30-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 10, Dillion rushed the ball to the end zone (11:09). Adin Benedict’s Extra Point Kick was Good. West Jeff leads Cedarville 48-6. On its own 34-Yard Line, CHS’s next Offensive Drive started. The Indians went three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 14 from the 30-Yard Line, the Indians had to Punt (8:09). The ball ended up on CHS’s 45-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Lambert completed a 25-Yard Pass to Jones (7:35). On 1^st Down and 10 from the 20-Yard Line, WJHS’s Higgins rushed the ball to the 5-Yard Line (6:55). On 1^st and Goal, Higgins took the ball into the end zone. At the snap (during the Extra Point Kick Attempt), the snap was botched. The ball was scooped up. However, an attempted pass was incomplete. West Jeff leads Cedarville 54-6.

 

            Cedarville’s Offense had the ball again. The ball was on the team’s own 33-Yard Line. The Indians went three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 11, CHS had to Punt (3:31). On 1^st Down and 10 from his team’s own 45-Yard Line, West Jeff’s Jones moved the ball to Midfield (50-Yard Line). The next play ended with Lambert throwing an Incomplete Pass. On 3^rd Down and 5, Jones was handed the ball again. When he stopped running, he was standing directly in the end zone (1:43).  Adin Benedict’s Extra Point Kick was Good. West Jeff leads Cedarville 61-6. At the 11:13 mark of the 4^th Quarter, CHS faced a 3^rd Down and 3 from its own 47-Yard Line. Caleb Criswell rushed the ball to WJHS’s 48-Yard Line. On 1^st Down and 10, Odon ran the ball. He picked up 11-Yards (10:33). The ball sat on the 37-Yard Line. Another First Down had been obtained.

 

            On 3^rd Down and 10, the ball still rested on West Jeff’s 37-Yard Line. At 8:36, Odon rushed the ball again. This time, no First Down was obtained. Odon moved the ball 7-Yards (to the 30-Yard Line). With the game already out of reach, CHS had to make a decision. In order to obtain a First Down, the Indians’ Offense needs to garner 3-Yards. Does Cedarville attempt a Field Goal; Punt the ball; or run a play? The team decided to run a play. After the snap from center, Cross kept the ball himself. Then, he quickly obtained exactly 3-Yards (8:02). After Odon made two runs, the ball rested on the 23-Yard Line. As a result, Cedarville now faced 3^rd Down and 6. For a third play, Odon was given the ball. This time, he took the ball all the way to the end zone (5:56). Instead of a Field Goal Attempt, the Indians decided on a 2-Point Conversion Attempt. When the play started, Cross threw a pass. Lee made the reception. By the Final Score of 61-14, West Jefferson High School went on to defeat Cedarville High School.